MATLOCK

Matlock Town Centre

North of the spa resort of Matlock Bath is Matlock, the county town of Derbyshire and is ideally situated just outside the Peak District on the A6 between Derby and Buxton. Much of Derbyshire County Council's business is conducted here and not in the city of Derby to the south.
Lead mining occurred in the area and a rare lead halide mineral, Matlockite is named after the town.
Between 1893 and 1927 a cable tramway operated in Matlock from Crown Square and Wellington Street with a stop halfway at Smedley Street where Smedley's Hydro (now the County Hall) was built. The tramway was inspired by San Francisco's cable cars.
Matlock is at the present northern terminus of the Derwent Valley Line, part of the national railway system of Great Britain. The line once ran as far as Rowsley but that section was closed in the 1960's as part of the Beeching Axe but that section is now operated by Peak Rail which runs steam trains from Matlock Station (which it shares with Network Rail) to Rowsley South.
Matlock has an interesting variety of shops including some good antiques shops.

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